Watering System with Adaptive Components

ABSTRACT

A system may include sensor equipment including one or more sensors disposed on a parcel of land, watering equipment disposed on the parcel and configured to selectively apply water to the parcel, and a gateway configured to provide for communication with the sensor equipment and the watering equipment. The gateway may interface between a first network and a second network. The first network may include at least the watering equipment and the sensor equipment. An operator may be enabled to wirelessly communicate with the gateway via the second network. At least one component of the watering equipment or the sensor equipment may be an adaptive component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/565,516, filed on Oct. 10, 2017 which is the national phase ofInternational Application number PCT/EP2015/057845 filed Apr. 10, 2015.The entire contents of the above are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments generally relate to intelligent systems and, moreparticularly, relate to a system for intelligent watering that includescomponents configured to adaptively react to environmental/situationalfactors.

BACKGROUND

Grounds care maintenance tasks may include lawn care and/or gardeningtasks related to facilitating growth and manicuring the lawns or gardensthat hopefully prosper as a result of those efforts. Facilitating growthhas commonly required individuals to focus routine attention on ensuringgrowing conditions are appropriate for the vegetation being grown, andon providing the necessary care and grooming tasks to further enhancegrowth.

As technological capabilities have improved, various devices or sensorshave been developed that are capable of employment to monitor variousaspects of growing conditions. Gardeners have therefore been enabled toemploy the sensors or devices in specific locations to monitor andcorrect, if needed, the growing conditions. However, even with theimprovement of monitoring devices or sensors, gardeners are still oftenrequired to employ a high degree of manual interaction to place and/oroperate the devices or sensors.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

Some example embodiments may therefore provide a capability forintelligent control or management of a number of assets in connectionwith yard maintenance with the assistance or inclusion of a gateway thatconnects in-home communication networks to a garden network. Thus, forexample, sensor equipment and watering equipment operation may beadaptively coordinated for efficient gardening and lawn care.

In an example embodiment, a system for intelligent control or managementof a number of assets in connection with yard maintenance is provided.The system may include sensor equipment including one or more sensorsdisposed on a parcel of land, watering equipment disposed on the parceland configured to selectively apply water to the parcel, and a gatewayconfigured to provide for communication with the sensor equipment andthe watering equipment. The gateway may interface between a firstnetwork and a second network. The first network may include at least thewatering equipment and the sensor equipment. An operator may be enabledto wirelessly communicate with the gateway via the second network (e.g.,via an app). At least one component of the watering equipment or thesensor equipment may be an adaptive component.

Some example embodiments may improve the ability of operators tomaximize the beauty and productivity of their yards and gardens, but doso in a simple and user friendly way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system in accordance with anexample embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of deployed components of the systemaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates the deployed components duplicated for multiple waterlines in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of processing circuitry that may beemployed in the deployed components according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a watering computer inaccordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the watering computerin accordance with an example embodiment; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a sensor according to anexample embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not allexample embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described andpictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to thescope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather,these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer tolike elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” isto be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true wheneverone or more of its operands are true. Additionally, the term “yardmaintenance” is meant to relate to any outdoor grounds improvement ormaintenance related activity and need not specifically apply toactivities directly tied to grass, turf or sod care. Thus, yardmaintenance should be appreciated to encompass gardening, lawn care,combinations thereof, and/or the like. As used herein, operable couplingshould be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, ineither case, enables functional interconnection of components that areoperably coupled to each other.

Example embodiments may provide an intelligent system for monitoringand/or maintaining yard conditions (i.e., lawn and/or garden conditions)at any of what may potentially be a number of locations throughout aparticular parcel, and allowing the operator to interface with deviceswithin the system in a flexible way. Moreover, the devices of the systemmay be coordinated in their activities and/or may be configured to adaptto their environment or at least to the current conditions or stimulithat are present in their environment. In some cases, the operationsconducted and/or monitoring may be accomplished with the assistance of amobile asset such as a robotic rover. In this regard, for example, thesystem may utilize a communication network that gathers information ongrowing conditions from sensor equipment for association of theinformation with the areas from which the information was gathered. Thesystem may also employ an interface mechanism that allows the operatorto have a great deal of flexibility with remotely controlling variouscomponents of the system and programming such components via processingcircuitry at each respective component. Programming may therefore becoordinated remotely, but at least some of the programming may also bestored locally so that the system can operate with or withoutconnectivity. In some cases, the connectivity aspects of the system mayutilize home network components and wide area network components (e.g.,the internet), but may also include a gateway that is configured tointerface between the deployed components (e.g., components in theyard/garden or otherwise related to yard maintenance) and the homenetwork/wide area network components. As mentioned above, the processingaspects may be distributed between local and remote managementcomponents so that some aspects of yard maintenance may utilize remoteassets or at least incorporate information available from abroad, whileother aspects can be managed locally. In any case, adaptability and easeof interface and control are characteristics of the system that areimproved by employing example embodiments.

The system may therefore employ any combination of fixed and/or mobileassets that gather data that relates to specific segments of the parcelthat may correspond to respective different areas. The specific segmentsmay have different types of plants therein, and therefore may optimallyhave different growing conditions desirable in connection with eachrespective one of the segments. The owner/operator may program operatinginstructions to guide the deployed components relative to operations inthe specific segments, which may be referred to as “zones.” In somecases, the processing circuitry may be equipped to allow the user todefine specific operating parameters and the system may then adapt tothe current conditions to operate according to the operating parameters.Given that internet connectivity is possible, in some cases, the systemmay be employed to correlate desirable growing conditions to anidentified plant species based on stored information associated witheach plant species from a database or online resource. Accordingly, eachzone may have corresponding growing condition parameters associatedtherewith, and the user can see the growing condition parametersrelative to the various areas and program operation of system componentsaccordingly relative to maintaining desired growing conditions (e.g.,any or all of moisture level, temperature, lighting level, pH, and/orthe like) for the corresponding zone. In some cases, schedules amongdeployed components may be deconflicted or otherwise organized toprevent damage to components, ineffective use of resources, orefficiency reducing behaviors. The deployed components associated withthe zones may provide the operator with reports and/or warnings via thegateway to enable the operator to intercede in certain situations, orthe components may simply respond and inform the operator of theirresponses via the gateway.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system 10 that may be employedto accomplish the basic operations described above in accordance with anexample embodiment. Within the context of FIG. 1, it should beappreciated that certain tasks, like grass cutting, chemicalapplication, visual monitoring and/or the like may be performed by arobot or robotic rover 15. Because the system could operate without therobotic rover 15, the robotic rover 15 is shown in dashed lines inFIG. 1. Robots or other devices could also be engaged to perform certainother yard maintenance tasks such as raking, fertilizing, lighting,watering, wildlife dispersion and/or the like.

Other tasks, like lawn watering, may be performed by sprinkler headsand/or a watering computer that interfaces therewith. The sprinklerheads may be attached to hoses and the watering computer may provide amechanism by which to control the turning on/off of water application atthe respective sprinkler head locations by providing a central shut offvalve for the hoses. The hoses, sprinkler heads and/or watering computermay together form watering equipment 20.

Meanwhile, various sensors may be employed by insertion of such sensorsinto soil for monitoring soil or other growing conditions (e.g.,lighting levels, moisture levels, pH, temperature, video or image data,etc.). These sensors may therefore be understood to take various formswithin the system 10. However, generally speaking, the sensors may haveconnectivity to the system 10 in order to enhance operation of systemcomponents on the basis of the soil and/or growing condition informationgathered by the sensors. Regardless of the specific configuration orplacement paradigm, the various sensors may represent sensor equipment30, as described above.

The sensor equipment 30, and in some cases also one or more of thedevices that comprise the watering equipment 20, may be in communicationwith a gateway 40 via wired or wireless connections. The gateway 40 maysubsequently have wired or wireless connection to an access point (AP)45, which may be directly or indirectly connectable to a user terminal50. The AP 45 may be a router of a home network of the operator. In somecases, direct connection of the AP 45 to the user terminal 50 may beprovided via short range wireless communication methods (e.g.,Bluetooth, WiFi and/or the like). Indirect connection of the AP 45 tothe user terminal 50 may occur via a network 60. The network 60 may be adata network, such as a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan areanetwork (MAN), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the internet), awireless personal area network (WPAN), and/or the like, which may coupledevices (e.g., the deployed components) to devices such as processingelements (e.g., personal computers, server computers or the like) and/ordatabases such as the user terminal 50. Communication between thenetwork 60 and other devices of the system 10 may be accomplished byeither wireline or wireless communication mechanisms and correspondingcommunication protocols. As such, for example, some or all of thesensors of the sensor equipment 30, the watering equipment 20 and/or therobotic rover 15, may be connected to the user terminal 50 by wireand/or be wireless communication means.

It should also be appreciated that although the robotic rover 15 isillustrated separately in FIG. 1, the robotic rover 15 may act as one orboth of a piece of sensor equipment 30 or a piece of watering equipment20. However, given the ability of the robotic rover 15 to act as eitheror both of a piece of sensor equipment 30 or a piece of wateringequipment 20 and the ability of the robotic rover 15 to perform othertasks (e.g., grass cutting) in combination with or independent of thesensor equipment 30 and the watering equipment 20, the robotic rover 15is shown separately in FIG. 1.

The gateway 40 may be a translation agent configured to interface withany or all of the deployed components via wired or wirelesscommunication. In some embodiments, the gateway 40 may include a highperformance antenna to enable the gateway 40 to communicate wirelesslywith deployed components via an 868 mHz radio link (e.g., a firstwireless link). However, other radio links may be employed in othercases. The first wireless link, and the components connected thereby,may be part of a first network (e.g., a garden network) or deployedcomponent network that extends outdoors. Components internal to thehouse or business, and extending to and between the user terminal 50 mayform a second network. As such, the gateway 40 may be a translationagent between the first and second networks. The gateway 40 may be anaggregation point and communications center for communications in bothnetworks.

As such, the gateway 40 may be provided within the home or otherwiseindoor environment of the operator, and still wirelessly communicatewith the deployed components (via the first wireless link) to translateinstructions thereto from the operator, which may be provided via asecond wireless link to the AP 45. In an example embodiment, thewireless communications may be secured by employing encryption or othersecurity techniques. The gateway 40 may also provide secure cloud datastorage through connection to the network 60 (e.g., via the AP 45). Insome examples, the first and second wireless links may be differentwireless links that employ different communication protocols and/orfrequencies.

The gateway 40 may also provide the ability for each of the deployedcomponents to be monitored, controlled, programmed or otherwiseinterfaced with by an operator using the user terminal 50. Inparticular, in some cases, the user terminal 50 may be configured toexecute an application (or app) that is tailored to providing an easysetup and/or easy to use interface for interaction with the gateway 40(and the corresponding deployed components that are reachable throughthe gateway 40). The user terminal 50 may therefore be a smartphone orother mobile terminal, or a laptop, PC, or other computing/communicationdevice. As such, the user terminal 50 may include processing circuitrythat is enabled to interface with corresponding processing circuitry ofthe gateway 40 and/or the deployed components to program, control orotherwise interact with the deployed components in a manner described ingreater detail below.

The interaction between the user terminal 50 and the gateway 40 tofacilitate programming of, control of, or interaction with the deployedcomponents may create an interactive and fully connectable garden systemfor irrigation and/or mowing control/coordination. The app that may beexecuted at the user terminal 50 may be configured for control of any orall of the deployed components on a real time or programmed basis. Theresulting system may be a holistic and connected automatic gardensystem. Moreover, the connection to content on the internet via network60 may allow educational content to be integrated into the system'soperation to provide operators with an improved interface and morecontrol over gaining full satisfaction of their gardening experience.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a water migration path that may be practiced inconnection with an example embodiment. However, it should be appreciatedthat some of the components may be removed in simpler exampleembodiments, and some components may be added to provide more complexarchitectures in other example embodiments. Thus, the examples of FIGS.2 and 3 not provided to be limiting in relation to the componentsincluded in the system, but merely to show various examples of somecomponents that may be included in one example system. Moreover, itshould be appreciated that FIG. 3 is merely shown to illustrate one wayin which multiple water delivery lines can be provided to service aparcel or yard. The fact that FIG. 3 only shows two water lines is notmeant to imply that example embodiments may only work with two lines. Tothe contrary, example embodiments may be practiced with any number oflines, and with separate and/or different water sources. Moreover, thelines may be in-ground lines that are part of an installed irrigationsystem, or movable hoses that are typically provided above ground.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a water source 100 may be used to chargea first water line 110 via a watering computer 120. In some cases (seeFIG. 3), the water source 100 may also charge a second water line 112via a second watering computer 122. The first and second water lines 110and 112 may each be a flexible water hose or garden hose. The first andsecond watering computers 120 and 122 may each be one of the deployedcomponents that forms one component of the watering equipment 20 ofFIG. 1. The first and second watering computers 120 and 122 may bedirectly attached to the water source 100 such that the water source 100is a tap or spigot to which the pressurized water supply of a house orother structure is supplied. However, in other examples, a hose or otherconnector may be provided between the first and second wateringcomputers 120 and 122 and the water source 100. An example of such otherconnector is shown in FIG. 3, which illustrates an example in which asplitter 125 is provided to split water between the first and secondwatering computers 120 and 122 and the first and second water lines 110and 112 that may otherwise be identical or similar to each other intheir makeup and operation. It should also be appreciated that thesplitter 125 may have the ability to interface with the gateway 40 insome embodiments. Thus, wired or wireless control of any number ofirrigation lines may be possible.

In an example embodiment, one or more sprinklers (e.g., a firstsprinkler 130 and a second sprinkler 132) may receive water from thefirst water line 110 and second water line 112, respectively. The firstwater line 110 may be selectively charged under control of the firstwatering computer 120 to provide water for spraying from the firstsprinkler 130. Likewise, the second water line 112 may be selectivelycharged under control of the second watering computer 122 to providewater for spraying from the second sprinkler 132. When the first waterline 110 is charged, the first sprinklers 130 may be provided withpressurized water that is distributed there through, and the secondsprinkler 132 may be similarly provided with water responsive tooperation of the second watering computer 122. The first and secondsprinklers 130 and 132 may typically be components that are not providedwith any local intelligence. Instead, the first and second sprinklers130 and 132 may only be controllable via operation of the first andsecond watering computers 120 and 122, respectively, to turn on and offwatering functions. However, it is possible that the first and secondsprinklers 130 and 132 could have intelligent components and/or controlaspects provided therein in some cases.

One or more sensors (e.g., first sensor 140 and second sensor 142) mayalso be provided at various locations in the parcel that is served bythe sprinklers to detect or sense conditions proximate to thecorresponding sensors. The first and second sensors 140 and 142 may eachcorrespond to a respective one of the first and second sprinklers 130and 132, and the app at the user terminal 50 may be configured to notesuch correspondence so that information received from a respective oneof the first or second sensor 140 or 142 can be correlated to actionsthat may be ordered to the first watering computer 120 or the secondwatering computer 122, if needed, based on the information.

In some examples, some of the deployed components may include a powersupply (P/S) 150 that is local to the corresponding ones of the deployedcomponents. The P/S 150 f each component may be a battery or batterypack. Each powered one of the deployed components may also includecommunication circuitry (C/C) 160 that includes processing circuitry forcontrolling each respective component and an antenna for enabling thedeployed components to communicate with the gateway 40 via the firstwireless link (or alternatively via a wired connection). The roboticrover 15 may also be an example of the deployed components, and thus therobotic rover 15 may also include the P/S 150 and the C/C 160. However,it should be appreciated that the various power supply and communicationcircuitry components may have different scale, structure andconfiguration features.

The first and second watering computers 120 and 122 may each furtherinclude a valve 170, which may be operated to respectively isolate andoperably couple the water source 100 from/to the first water line 110and/or the second water line 122, respectively. The valve 170 may beoperated based on instructions received through the gateway 40 or basedon schedule information stored or otherwise accessible via the C/C 160of the first or second watering computers 120 or 122. The first andsecond watering computers 120 and 122 may provide convenience tooperation of the system 10 since the first and second watering computers120 and 122 can be controlled from anywhere and/or at anytime via theapp at the user terminal 50 by programming a schedule or manuallydirecting operation of the first and second watering computers 120 and122 at the user terminal 50. However, in some cases, the app can also beused to program the watering computer 120 for automatic operation of thevalves 170 based on sensor data received from the first or second sensor140 or 142.

In an example embodiment, the C/C 160 may include processing circuitry210, as shown in FIG. 4. The processing circuitry 210 that may beconfigured to perform data processing, control function execution and/orother processing and management services according to an exampleembodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the processingcircuitry 210 may be embodied as a chip or chip set. In other words, theprocessing circuitry 210 may comprise one or more physical packages(e.g., chips) including materials, components and/or wires on astructural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural assembly mayprovide physical strength, conservation of size, and/or limitation ofelectrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon. Theprocessing circuitry 210 may therefore, in some cases, be configured toimplement an embodiment of the present invention on a single chip or asa single “system on a chip.” As such, in some cases, a chip or chipsetmay constitute means for performing one or more operations for providingthe functionalities described herein.

In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 210 may include oneor more instances of a processor 212 and memory 214 that may be incommunication with or otherwise control a device interface 220. As such,the processing circuitry 210 may be embodied as a circuit chip (e.g., anintegrated circuit chip) configured (e.g., with hardware, software or acombination of hardware and software) to perform operations describedherein. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 210 maycommunicate with internal electronic components of the first and secondwatering computers 120 and 122, the first or second sensors 140 and 142and/or the robotic rover 15, and enable communication externally withother components.

The device interface 220 may include one or more interface mechanismsfor enabling communication with other devices via the gateway 40. Insome cases, the device interface 220 may be any means such as a deviceor circuitry embodied in either hardware, or a combination of hardwareand software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/tothe gateway 40 by virtue of the device interface 220 being capable ofsending and receiving messages via the gateway 40. In some exampleembodiments, the device interface 220 may provide interfaces forcommunication of components of or external to the system 10 via thegateway 40. If the C/C 160 is for a sensor, the device interface 220 mayfurther interface with a sensor (e.g., a temperature sensor, a pHsensor, a light sensor, a moisture sensor and/or the like) to obtainsensor data for communication to other devices (e.g., the wateringcomputers). Meanwhile, if the C/C 160 is for a watering computer, thedevice interface 220 may provide interfaces to other onboard components(e.g., a user interface including lights and a main button as describedbelow).

The processor 212 may be embodied in a number of different ways. Forexample, the processor 212 may be embodied as various processing meanssuch as one or more of a microprocessor or other processing element, acoprocessor, a controller or various other computing or processingdevices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmablegate array), or the like. In an example embodiment, the processor 212may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 214 orotherwise accessible to the processor 212. As such, whether configuredby hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, the processor212 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry inthe form of processing circuitry 210) capable of performing operationsaccording to embodiments of the present invention while configuredaccordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 212 is embodied as anASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 212 may be specifically configuredhardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively,as another example, when the processor 212 is embodied as an executor ofsoftware instructions, the instructions may specifically configure theprocessor 212 to perform the operations described herein.

In an example embodiment, the processor 212 (or the processing circuitry210) may be embodied as, include or otherwise control the C/C 160. Assuch, in some embodiments, the processor 212 (or the processingcircuitry 210) may be said to cause each of the operations described inconnection with the C/C 160 (and corresponding distributed componentwith which the C/C 160 is associated) by directing the C/C 160 toundertake the corresponding functionalities responsive to execution ofinstructions or algorithms configuring the processor 212 (or processingcircuitry 210) accordingly. As an example, the C/C 160 of the sensorsmay be configured to detect environmental parameters (e.g., sensor data)and report the sensor data via the first wireless link to the gateway 40(and ultimately to the app on the user terminal 50 or to storage in thecloud via the network 60). In some cases, the C/C 160 of the sensors maybe configured to determine a difference between a prior set of sensordata (e.g., the magnitude of a previous sensor measurement) and thecurrent set of sensor data (e.g., the magnitude of a most recent sensormeasurement). The amount of difference may then be used to determinewhether or not the sensor will report the current set of sensor data. Ifthe difference is small (e.g., less than a threshold amount) the sensormay not report the new value. However, if the difference is large enough(e.g., larger than the threshold amount), then the sensor may report thenew value. As such, the C/C 160 of the sensors may be configured toperform battery conservation techniques relative to reporting of sensordata. The C/C 160 of the sensors may also be configured to otherwisereport (or make a determination on whether to report based on thecriteria discussed above) sensor data on a given schedule or responsiveto certain activities or events. When a trigger event (e.g., temporal oraction based trigger) occurs, the C/C 160 of the sensor may make adetermination of the current sensor data and decide whether or not toreport the sensor data.

The C/C 160 of the watering computers may be configured to control theoperation of the valve 170 on the basis of schedule information storedlocally in the memory 214 of the C/C 160. The C/C 160 of the wateringcomputers may also allow modifications to the schedule, otherprogramming operations, and/or the real-time taking of control over theposition of the valve 170. Thus, for example, the operator may beenabled to remotely monitor current valve 170 position and/or programsettings and make modifications to either. In some embodiments, the C/C160 of the watering computers may be programmed to water when sensordata falling within or exceeding certain ranges or thresholds isreceived. Thus, for example, if the sensor data indicates that soilmoisture is below a given threshold, the watering computers may beconfigured to open the valve 170 to deliver water to the sprinklers.

The C/C 160 of the robotic rover 15 may be configured to control thetravels and operations of the robotic rover 15. Moreover, the C/C 160 ofthe robotic rover 15 may allow the gateway 40 to grant user access tomodification of the schedule of operations of the robotic rover 15and/or to take real-time control over various operations of the roboticrover 15. In an example embodiment, the app at the user terminal 50 maybe employed to coordinate and/or de-conflict watering schedules andmowing schedules. Additionally or alternatively, if the operator makes amodification to a schedule or takes real-time control of one or morecomponents, the app at the user terminal 50 may provide alerts toindicate that the proposed changes to the schedule or current operationsmay be problematic, or may prevent the making of such changes. Thus, forexample, if the robotic rover 15 is mowing in an area in which a sensorindicates a low soil moisture value that would normally trigger openingof the valve 170 via the watering computer's programming, an alert maybe provided to indicate that the robotic rover 15 should have itsoperations changed, or the opening of the valve 170 may be delayed.

In an example embodiment, the electronic deployed components (e.g.,components having a P/S 150) may further include a reset button 230provided at a secure portion thereof. In some cases, the reset button230 may be provided in or near a battery compartment of thecorresponding device. The reset button 230 may be used to insert a resetcondition that may trigger different functionalities through theprogramming of the processing circuitry 210 for corresponding differentsituations and/or actuation methods. For example, a short press of thereset button 230 may cause the corresponding device to go into a pairingmode. Once in the pairing mode, the device may be detectable by thegateway 40 and/or other devices for a given period of time. The app onthe user terminal 50 may be used to detect the device in pairing modeand, once detected, the app may also be used to pair the device toanother device (e.g., of the first network—the deployed componentnetwork). The gateway 40 and the C/C 160 of the corresponding devicesmay then be capable of communication with each other on a continuous,event driven or scheduled basis via the first wireless link. Thus, forexample, the first sensor 140 may be configured to provide sensor datato the first watering computer 120 (e.g., via the gateway 40). In somecases, the first sensor 140 may be paired with the first wateringcomputer 120 via a setup procedure and communicate thereafter on aschedule or an activity/event driven basis. In some cases, simplereplacement or insertion of a battery to power up the device may be anadditional or alternative method by which to initiate the pairing mode.

In some cases, a long press of the reset button 230 (e.g., greater thanfive seconds of holding the reset button 230) may result in returningthe device to factory settings. As such, contents of the memory 214 maybe cleared or otherwise reset to initial settings or conditions. Otherfunctions may also or alternatively be provided. Moreover, some devicesmay have additional buttons or operable members. For example, the firstwatering computer 120 may have a main button on a housing of the firstwatering computer 120 as described in greater detail below.

Communication between the gateway 40 and the sensors or wateringcomputers may occur for pairing purposes and to facilitate theoperational activities for which the system 10 is ultimately configured.Thus, for example, the operator may use the app at the user terminal 50to connect to the gateway 40 and may be provided with one or morecontrol console or interface screens that provide options forinteracting with deployed components and/or for programming the deployedcomponents. In some cases, initial setup of the system may befacilitated by placing individual deployed components (eithersequentially or simultaneously) in a pairing mode. The deployedcomponents are then discoverable via the first wireless link and can beadded to the first network. Once added to the first network, thedeployed components are considered to be assets of the first networkthat can be interacted with/programmed and/or the like. The deployedcomponents can then be paired with each other and configured forindividual and/or cooperative functional performance.

In an example embodiment the first watering computer 120 may be pairedwith the second watering computer 122, with the robotic rover 15 and/orthe first sensor 140. When the first watering computer 120 is pairedwith and connected to the first sensor 140, the operator may haveoptions provided (e.g., via the app) to select instructions orscheduling options for intelligent irrigation. The first wateringcomputer 120 may therefore be instructed regarding the specific stimulithat may be received from the first sensor 140 to trigger opening thevalve 170. Additionally, the first watering computer 120 may be providedwith (e.g., in the memory 214) a schedule or listing of event triggerswhich cause the first watering computer 120 to “ping” or otherwise reachout to the first sensor to initiate communication to receive sensordata. Based on the sensor data received (e.g., if certain thresholdparameters are reached or not), the valve 170 may be opened.

When the first watering computer 120 is paired with and connected to therobotic rover 15, automatic coordination of schedules may beaccomplished at least relative to ensuring that mowing and watering arenot conducted in the same area at the same time. The app on the userterminal 50 may ensure that scheduling of mowing during watering (orvice versa) is not possible. However, given that the operator can takecontrol of the watering computers and/or the robotic rover 15 toinitiate operations, the app on the user terminal 50 may further preventany attempts to initiate operations of watering computers or the roboticrover 15 in real-time when the other is also operating in the same area.

When the first watering computer 120 is paired with and connected to thesecond watering computer 122, watering schedules or operations can becoordinated to manage or prevent under-pressure situations. For example,if the first and second watering computers 120 and 122 are connected tothe splitter 125, as shown in FIG. 3, it may be possible for waterpressure to be insufficient to effectively charge both the first waterline 110 and the second water line 112 at the same time. Thus, byallowing the first and second watering computers 120 and 122 to be incommunication with each other, operations of one may be communicated tothe other (e.g., via the gateway 40) so that the second wateringcomputer 122 will not open its valve 170, while the first wateringcomputer 120 is currently engaged in watering operations.

The deployed components of various example embodiments may be adaptiveto various conditions or situations. Moreover, the adaptive nature ofthe deployed components may be provided as a programmable feature, wherethe operator can use the user terminal 50 to program specific adaptivebehaviors that are adjustable parameters, relationships or responses. Inthe context of some examples, the programmable feature should beunderstood to be remotely programmable (i.e., programmable from the appand/or the user terminal 50 remote from the component being programmed)via the gateway 40. In other examples, the adaptive nature of thedeployed components may be provided as a default feature. Thus, theadaptive capabilities of the deployed components may either be dependentupon connectivity (e.g., connectivity dependent) for remote programming,or may be connectivity independent (e.g., default programming thatexists or is instituted when there is no connectivity or responsive to aloss of connectivity.

In some embodiments, battery power levels may be communicated to thegateway 40 and signal strength values relating to communication with thesensors and/or watering computers may also be determined at the gateway40. This information (along with sensor data) may be provided to the appat the user terminal 50 to alert the operator when battery power is low,or signal strengths are low. Battery replacement and/or sensorrepositioning may then be undertaken to improve the situation. Asmentioned above, in some cases, the sensor may also adaptively respondto its surroundings to trigger reports. In an example embodiment, thewater computer may attempt to ping the sensor via the gateway 40 totrigger a report of sensor data. However, the sensor may be configured(e.g., via the C/C 160) to determine the amount of change in therequested parameter before deciding whether to respond to the ping. Insome embodiments, a change of at least a specific amount or percentage(e.g., 5%) may be required before the sensor will report sensor data viawireless transmission. Since wireless transmission consumes more powerthan internal operation (e.g., to determine the amount of change andcurrent sensor data), by saving several transmission cycles when thereis little data change, battery life can be substantially extended. Whena ping is sent and no response is received, the last value received maybe substituted and communicated to the operator (e.g., via the app).

The operator can wake up the watering computers and/or sensors bysending a ping or wake up message to either component via the app. Thewake up message may be used to see if the devices are still reacting andactive, or to request specific data from or initiate actions at suchcomponents in real time. Moreover, in some cases, the operator can senda wakeup, or setup signal to have the corresponding device beacon for atleast a predetermined amount of time (e.g., three minutes). During thistime, the devices may be positioned and the operator may check the appto see what signal strength is detected by the gateway 40. The operatorcan therefore position the devices in real time and make sure that theposition in which a device is currently located is a good location fromthe perspective of its ability to communicate with the gateway 40.

In some embodiments, one or more of the deployed components may furtherinclude frost warning capability. In particular, since the wateringcomputers typically have pressurized water proximate to the valve 170,it should be appreciated that freezing of water in the body of thewatering computers may be destructive to the valve 170. Accordingly, theC/C 160 of one or more components (especially the watering computers)may be configured to identify situations where there is a potential forfrost that may damage the watering computers. In some embodiments, ifthe temperature reaches a predetermined threshold distance from thefreezing point (e.g., 5 degrees C., or 10 degrees F.), an alert may beissued (e.g., through the app at the user terminal 50) to warn theoperator that the watering computer (and/or sensors) should be broughtin to avoid damage. The predetermined threshold may be a factorysetting, or may be set by the operator. However, in either case, theability to identify a present temperature condition to alert theoperator of a possible frost event is another example of how thedeployed components may be configured (by operator program or bydefault) to be adaptive relative to their surroundings and/orcircumstances.

Another example of the adaptability of the deployed components relatesto the inability to connect to the first network or a loss of connectionto the first network. For example, although the watering schedules couldbe maintained in the cloud, on the user terminal 50 or elsewhere, insome cases, the watering schedule (or at least a portion thereof) may bestored locally at the watering computers. For example, the memory 214may be configured to record at least the last water schedule informationemployed. Thus, power is lost at the gateway 40 or at another systemcomponent that thereby renders connectivity impossible, the first andsecond watering computers 120 and 122 may each store at least theinformation indicative of their respective last watering schedules.Thus, for example, if the first watering computer 120 opened the valve170 at 1300 and shut the valve at 1305, while the second wateringcomputer 122 opened its valve 170 at 1305 and closed it at 1318, if noconnection to the watering schedule can be achieved, or if connectivityis lost, each of the first and second watering computers 120 and 122will continue to water on the previously provided schedule.

Although the first and second watering computers 120 and 122 could takedifferent physical forms, an example structure for embodying a wateringcomputer is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The watering computer may include ahousing body 200 that houses a valve assembly 210 (which includes valve170) and a battery pack 220 (e.g., P/S 150). The battery pack 220 may beprovided in a battery compartment that is accessible via the batterycompartment door 230. The valve assembly 210 may include a tap adapter212 configured to interface with a spigot or tap of a pressurized watersystem (e.g., water source 100) and provide an input port for the valveassembly 210. An output port of the valve assembly 210 may include ahose adapter 214, which may include or be embodied as a quick couplerto/from which a hose can easily be connected/disconnected. The housingbody 200 may mate with a cover plate 240, which may be a single plate ormade of multiple plates. In an example embodiment, the cover plate 240may include a single main button 250, which may be the only physicallyembodied operable member associated with the user interface of thewatering computer. The other physical portion of the user interface thatis local to the watering computer may be a light assembly 260, which mayinclude one or more LEDs.

The main button 250 may have at least two functions (and in some casesonly two functions). In this regard, the main button 250 may be operatedto manually shift the valve assembly 210 so that the valve 170 isalternately opened or closed (i.e., changed from its current conditionto the opposite condition) and/or to trigger a display of statusinformation via the light assembly 260. In an example embodiment, if thevalve 170 is closed, pressing the main button 250 will cause the lightassembly 260 to show the current state of the watering computer for apredetermined amount of time (e.g., 20 seconds). After the predeterminedamount of time has passed, the watering computer may shut off the lightassembly 260 and the valve 170 may remain closed. If the main button 250is pressed a second time before the predetermined amount of time haspassed, the valve 170 may be opened. In some embodiments, the valve 170may remain open for the same amount of time that the operator definedfor valve opening via the app the last time the operator used the app.Thus, even for manual operation, the time for which the valve 170remains opened is adaptive insofar as the opening time is based onprogrammed settings used the last time the operator interacted with theapp.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a sensor 300 according to anexample embodiment. The sensor 300 may include a base portion 310, whichmay be inserted into the ground. The base portion 310 may be tapered tofacilitate piercing the ground for placement therein. However, in someembodiments, the base portion 310 may also house sensor portions forinterfacing with the ground to detect temperature, pH, moisture, and/orthe like. The base portion 310 may support a head portion 320 insidewhich a battery compartment may be provided for supporting the batterypack that powers the sensor 300. The head portion 320 may also housecommunications and/or processing equipment (e.g., the C/C 160 and anyantenna(s) and/or the like). In some cases, the head portion 320 mayalso house a light sensor or other sensing equipment.

Embodiments of the present invention may therefore be practiced usingapparatuses such as those depicted in FIGS. 1-7. As such, a system of anexample embodiment may include sensor equipment having one or moresensors disposed on a parcel of land, watering equipment disposed on theparcel and configured to selectively apply water to the parcel, and agateway configured to provide for communication with the sensorequipment and the watering equipment. The gateway may interface betweena first network and a second network. The first network may include atleast the watering equipment and the sensor equipment. An operator maybe enabled to wirelessly communicate with the gateway via the secondnetwork. At least one component of the watering equipment or the sensorequipment may be an adaptive component.

The system may further include a robotic rover that is also adaptivelyconfigured. In an example embodiment, the watering equipment may includea watering computer including a valve assembly. The watering computermay be operably coupled to a water source and a water line such that thevalve assembly is operable, by the watering computer, to alternatelycouple the water source to and isolate the water source from the waterline. In some embodiments, the sensor equipment may include a sensorpaired with the watering computer via the gateway to communicate sensordata to the watering computer. In some cases, the watering computer maybe adaptive as a programmable feature such that the operator is enabledto program a specific adaptive behavior as an adjustable parameter,relationship or response. In an example embodiment, the wateringcomputer may be adaptively configured to respond to temperature byreceiving temperature data and providing an alert to the operatorresponsive to the temperature data being within a predetermined amountof a freezing point. In some embodiments, the watering computer may beadaptively configured to respond to the sensor data by operating thevalve assembly based on an indication that the sensor data correspondsto an operator selected trigger. In an example embodiment, the wateringcomputer may be adaptively configured to respond to a loss ofconnectivity to the gateway or the sensor by employing a previouslyprogrammed watering schedule. In some cases, the watering computer maybe adaptive as a default feature such that the watering computer employsa default parameter, relationship or response responsive to an absenceof communication from the gateway. In some embodiments, the wateringcomputer may be configured to employ a last sensor data parameterresponsive to not receiving a response to a request for sensor data fromthe sensor. In an example embodiment, the watering computer may beconfigured to erase memory and restore default settings responsive to areset condition. In some cases, the watering computer may be configuredto enter a pairing mode responsive to a reset condition. In someexamples, the sensor may be configured to adaptively report sensor datato the gateway. In an example embodiment, the sensor may be configuredto adaptively report sensor data to the gateway by determining whether acurrent reading is different from a last reading by greater than athreshold amount, and may only transmit the current reading to thegateway responsive to the current reading being different from the lastreading by greater than the threshold amount. In some embodiments, thesecond network may include a user terminal via which the operatorprovides a watering schedule or parameters for initiating watering basedon sensor data to the watering computer. In some cases, the secondnetwork may include an in-home access point that is wirelesslyconnectable to the gateway, and a first wireless link that is employedon the first network may be different than a second wireless linkemployed on the second network. In an example embodiment, the operatormay be enabled to receive battery status information or signal strengthinformation relating to the watering equipment or the sensor equipment.In some cases, the watering computer may include a main button and alight assembly, and the main button may be manually operable to displaystatus via the light assembly or to actuate the valve assembly. In someembodiments, the operator may be enabled to interface with the wateringequipment and the sensor equipment via the gateway to pair devices ofthe watering equipment with corresponding devices of the sensorequipment. In an example embodiment, the operator may be enabled tointerface with the watering equipment, the robotic rover and the sensorequipment via the gateway to coordinate watering and mowing schedules.In some cases, the operator may be notified via the gateway when one ofthe watering equipment or the robotic rover is actuated via the gatewaywhile the other of the watering equipment or the robotic rover isoperating in a same area.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certainexemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should beappreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions maybe provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scopeof the appended claims. In this regard, for example, differentcombinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitlydescribed above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of theappended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions toproblems are described herein, it should be appreciated that suchadvantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some exampleembodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, anyadvantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thoughtof as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or tothat which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a sensor equipment includingone or more sensors configured to be disposed on a parcel of land; awatering equipment disposed on the parcel and configured to selectivelyapply water to the parcel, the water equipment comprising: a wateringcomputer; and a valve configured to be operated by the watering computerto selectively isolate or operably couple a water source to a water lineto control the water output of the water line; a user terminal; and agateway configured to communicate with the sensor equipment and thewatering equipment via a first network, and communicate with the userterminal via a second network; wherein the user terminal comprisesprocessing circuitry configured to provide a remote interface forcommunication with the sensor equipment and the watering equipment viathe gateway; wherein the processing circuitry of the user terminal isconfigured to communicate, via the gateway, with the watering computerto control operation of the valve.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein theprocessing circuitry of the user terminal is configured to communicate,via the gateway, with the watering computer to modify a schedule foroperating the valve.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processingcircuitry of the user terminal is configured to communicate, via thegateway, with the watering computer to enable real-time control of thevalve via the user terminal.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein thewatering computer is configured to store schedule information indicatinga schedule for controlling the valve in a local memory of the wateringcomputer.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the waterline is operablycoupled to a sprinkler; and wherein the valve is configured to controlat least the water output of the sprinkler.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the watering computer is configured to control the valve basedon sensor measurements obtained by the sensor equipment.
 7. The systemof claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors of thesensor equipment is a moisture sensor; wherein the moisture sensor isconfigured to take moisture measurements and communicate the moisturemeasurements via the gateway; wherein the watering computer isconfigured to control the valve based on moisture measurements obtainedby the sensor equipment.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein wateringcomputer is configured to open the valve in response to a moisturemeasurement being below a moisture threshold.
 9. The system of claim 7,wherein watering computer is configured to close the valve in responseto a moisture measurement being above a moisture threshold.
 10. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry of the user terminalis configured to receive a communication indicating a current valveposition of the valve, and output on a display of the user terminal thecurrent valve position to a user.
 11. A watering equipment comprising: awatering computer comprising processing circuitry and a device interfaceconfigured to communicate via gateway of a garden network; and a valveconfigured to be operated by the watering computer to selectivelyisolate or operably couple a water source to a water line to control thewater output of the water line; wherein the processing circuitry isconfigured to receive communications from a user terminal to controloperation of the valve.
 12. The watering equipment of claim 11, whereinthe processing circuitry of the watering computer is configured tomodify a schedule for operating the valve in response to a communicationbeing received from the user terminal via the gateway.
 13. The wateringequipment of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry of the wateringcomputer is configured to control operation of the valve in real-time inresponse to a communication being received from the user terminal viathe gateway.
 14. The watering equipment of claim 11, wherein thewatering computer is configured to store schedule information indicatinga schedule for controlling the valve in a local memory of the wateringcomputer.
 15. The watering equipment of claim 11, wherein the waterlineis configured to be operably coupled to a sprinkler; and wherein thevalve is configured to control at least the water output of thesprinkler.
 16. The watering equipment of claim 11, wherein the wateringcomputer is configured to control the valve based on sensor measurementsobtained by sensor equipment.
 17. The watering equipment of claim 11,wherein the watering computer is configured to control the valve basedon moisture measurements obtained by the sensor equipment.
 18. Thewatering equipment of claim 17, wherein watering computer is configuredto open the valve in response to a moisture measurement being below amoisture threshold.
 19. The watering equipment of claim 17, whereinwatering computer is configured to close the valve in response to amoisture measurement being above a moisture threshold.
 20. The wateringequipment of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry of the wateringcomputer is configured to transmit a communication, via the deviceinterface and the gateway, to the user terminal indicating a currentvalve position of the valve for output on a display of the user terminalto a user.